UA Little Rock selects firm for football, marching band feasibility study

[Lanny]

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected a firm to conduct a football and marching band feasibility study following a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The RFP committee chose Convention Sports & Leisure (CSL) of Plano, Texas, to lead the study, a collaborative effort involving CarrSports Consulting, LLC, Heery Sports, and The Grant Group. The proposal was chosen among four applicants. The selection is pending approval by the Arkansas Legislative Council.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether a football program and marching band would be a fiscal and meaningful addition to UA Little Rock and the central Arkansas community. A collaborative project with the city of Little Rock and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the study will examine every aspect of starting a football program, including costs, staffing, playing venue, facility construction and economic and enrollment impact. The study would put exact figures on both a startup and annual cost for Little Rock football. The university will use the study to help determine if it will move forward with bringing college football back to Little Rock.

If the Convention Sports & Leisure firm is approved, the cost of the study will be divided among the city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock Athletics, and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. The portion paid by the Athletic Department will come from private funds.



CSL is an advisory and planning firm specializing in consulting services to the convention, sport, entertainment, and visitor industries. CSL International has completed more than 500 consulting engagements throughout North America and abroad, focusing on a variety of event facility planning and economic development issues.

Founded in 1988, CSL has worked with clients throughout all levels of athletics, including a number of Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League franchises. At the collegiate level, CSL has experience working with over 50 Division I athletic programs, overseeing feasibility studies for programs such as North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Sun Belt Conference member Georgia Southern.

CarrSports Consulting, LLC, established in 1997, has become one of the nation's leaders in leadership placement and program advancement with Intercollegiate Athletics, helping counsel clients effectively in executive searches for head coaches, athletic directors and conference commissioners. CarrSports Consulting has worked with over 30 Division I programs to assess football feasibility, including Sun Belt Conference members Appalachian State University, Texas State University, Troy University and the University of South Alabama.

Heery Sports is a full-service architecture, interior design, engineering, program management and construction management firm, founded in 1952. Ranked as one of the top professional services firms by industry publications, Heery has overseen facility enhancement projects at institutions such as the University of Arkansas, Coastal Carolina University, Troy University and Georgia State University.

The Grant Group specializes in Title IX-Gender Equality related issues, bringing over 36 years of experience working with intercollegiate athletics on Title IX-Gender Equality issues. The company has consulted over 60 Division I athletic programs, including nearly half of current Sun Belt Conference institutions, as well as over 20 Power Five programs.

With approval, the firm will begin its study later this fall with an anticipated completion date in spring 2018.

Once the study is concluded and findings presented, the Little Rock Athletic Department will reach out to numerous entities to review the findings and then determine if adding a football program, as well as a marching band, would be a logical decision. These entities will include the UA Little Rock faculty, staff, students, alumni, board members and supporters of the Athletic Department, as well as city and state leaders from the central Arkansas community.

[holeinthewall]

interested to see if they plan to jump right into the Sun belt or start as a FCS team.  War Memorial will look good with 5K people in it.

[Grizzlyfan]

What's the chances that a consulting company from Texas would tell anybody they shouldn't have football.

[DeltaBoy]

What's the chances that a consulting company from Texas would tell anybody they shouldn't have football.

Little to NONE!  Just look around DFW and see the Football Stadiums built just for HS football.  Everyone in the old AIC would walk on glass to have played in some of these places .

[Ben]

Little to NONE!  Just look around DFW and see the Football Stadiums built just for HS football.  Everyone in the old AIC would walk on glass to have played in some of these places .

Exactly! some people have stated that the chances a texas firm says no is very slim

[10thPlanet]

Would love to see it. More opportunity for Arkansas kids. 

[Arkstfan]

interested to see if they plan to jump right into the Sun belt or start as a FCS team.  War Memorial will look good with 5K people in it.

They have to play I think two FCS years before they can apply to be FBS.

South Alabama used a great strategy. They played one year of club football because they could play without it counting as a year of football. It still counts against the five year clock (five years to play four) but it isn't one of the four years of playing.